Frog grapplers finish season, get 7th at State

Wednesday

Mar 20, 2013 at 11:02 AMMar 20, 2013 at 11:06 AM

The Pratt High School wrestling team completed another successful year with the best State finish in nearly 40 years. The 1974 Greenbacks placed 5th, just slightly better than the 7th place earned by this year’s Greenback grapplers.

Neil DePew

The Pratt High School wrestling team completed another successful year with the best State finish in nearly 40 years. The 1974 Greenbacks placed 5th, just slightly better than the 7th place earned by this year’s Greenback grapplers. Pratt’s combined record over the two-day State Tournament was an impressive 16-9, placing 4 out of their 5 qualifiers. Cesar Regalado, #113 junior, was State Champion and sported an overall record of 31-3 on the year. PHS’ next highest state placer was #220 senior Austin Gates, who took 4th. Gates went 31-10 for the campaign. A 6th place state finish by Mitchell Baird culminated a 29-13 season record for the #152 senior.Trae' Foreman took 5th at state, the #106 junior finishing the season at 32-6.#170 senior Weston Riner was just one match from placing at state, and sported a 22-15 record on the year. Other varsity wrestlers this season included Gabriel McAbee, Hudson Swift, Brendan Pribil and Taylor White. Each of those grapplers is an underclassman, and the experience they gained over the campaign should help them to contribute strongly next year. Despite the loss of 3 senior state qualifiers, PHS head coach Tate Thompson is optimistic about the prospects for next year. “With Trae' and Cesar returning as state placers, the Greenbacks are projected to be in the top 5 with returning State placer points next year,” Thompson pointed out. “We look forward to a quality group of freshmen next year to add to our 7 returning varsity wrestlers so that we can just continue to reload and reach our ultimate goal of a team state championship in the very near future.”